The Death of Naruto Uzumaki
by KrazyKiba
Summary: In an alternate 'what if' timeline, Sasuke kills Naruto in their final battle as he defects from Konoha. All are shocked, and some are more affected than others... how will they deal with this? Contains KibaHina, some NaruSaku. Reviews encouraged!
1. Prologue Too Late

Prologue

Too late

Two young shinobi, both Genin, stood at opposite sides of The Final Valley, where Uchiha Madara and Hashimura Senju, AKA the First Hokage, fought a great and destructive battle. Now, a descendant of Madara faced one of the fourth Hokage, in a battle to the death.

On one side, a blond boy, with the power of the Kyuubi sealed within him, seeping through to give him power, held a swirling orb of rotating chakra in his hand, tainted by the power of the Kyuubi. A red aura surrounded him, giving him the outline of a One-Tailed Fox Demon. His slitted red eyes reflected that of the Kyuubi within him, its power seeping through the seal.

On the other side, a dark-haired boy, his skin a dark gray color, a black cross mark on the bridge of his nose, held a blade of electric chakra in his hand. Two large, webbed hand-shaped wings stuck out from his shoulder blades, another effect of his current state. His eyes bore the three-pupil Sharingan, showing he was indeed an Uchiha.

Suddenly, both ninja leaped forth, their jutsu extended to one another.

"CHIDORI!" yelled the Uchiha, his teeth bared, his black and red eyes enraged.

"RASENGAN!" called the blond boy, his lips pulled back to reveal large fangs.

Their attacks collided. Managing to conjure a second Chidori, the Uchiha tunneled it straight through the boy chest, obliterating bone, lungs and heart in one fell blow, impaling him totally on the arm. Blood gushed violently from the wound, dripping onto the orange tracksuit he wore. He gasped, with his last breath only scratching the surface of the Uchiha boy's head protector with his claws. More blood shot up to his throat, filling his mouth and dribbling over his lips, down his chin...

The gravity of the attack had scarred the earth further, leaving their imprint on the valley. The sheer force of their confrontation had greatly upset the water, even causing it to rush against the current. When they hit the ground, both opponents were returned to their normal states. The fox boy's aura had faded away, his dead, empty eyes now a deep blue. The Uchiha's hair had shortened dramatically, his skin color returning to a pale on and his eyes regaining their normal state as well. The large hands were gone.

Horrified at what he had done, the victor, Uchiha Sasuke, gazed down at the dead body of his best friend. A beam of light, bursting through the clouds, shone on the two, closing up slowly until it disappeared in a tiny thread on the forehead of the dead child, Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke's scarred headband untied itself, falling from his forehead onto the ground with a resounding _clink_, one that seemed so loud in this sudden silence.

"...Naruto..." Sasuke said, his arms hung at his sides, too appalled for tears. "I... I'm..." He was dead... by his own hand, he had killed his best friend. He had taken a life to achieve the Mangekyou Sharingan. "I'm..." Before he could say much more, a drop of water fell at his feet, soon followed by another, and another, until rain poured down on him. He looked up, silently wishing for it to wash away his sin... until both his arms unexpectedly throbbed in horrible pain, causing him to fall to his knees, blood spurting out of his mouth. He had overused the Cursed Seal of Heaven...

The blood had landed right next to Naruto's head. By now, the rain had soaked him, washing away some of the blood, dampening his hair, held up by a Leaf Village head protector. Sasuke, with his head hung over that of his friend, simply stared into those lifeless, saddened eyes.

A man with silver hair, accompanied by his canine companion, jumped from tree limb to tree limb, searching for the scent. The male wore Jonin clothing, as well as a mask and slanted Leaf village head protector, which covered his left eye. The dog had brown fur, and wore a blue top with a Leaf village head protector around his head. Their names were Hatake Kakashi and Pakkun.

Suddenly, it began to rain. Kakashi realized that Pakkun would lose the scent of their target, Uchiha Sasuke. He had deserted the village to find Orochimaru, and Shikamaru had gone on with four other Genin to go after him: including Naruto. Who knew what disaster could happen if he didn't get there in time.

"Rain..." spoke Kakashi, before looking to Pakkun. "Will you lose his scent?"

"Doesn't matter, we're close enough," Pakkun replied, jumping into the gorge with Kakashi. Both landed on a small patch of land in the river. By this time, the rain was pouring. His silver hair was damp, and fell back. With his only opened eye, he saw a horrid sight. Both Pakkun and himself were appalled when they laid their eyes on the boy who lay on the ground.

"Oh, no... We're too late."

The blond Genin lay in a pool of his own blood, and his blue eyes, wide-open and blank, staring at the sky above. His blond hair was damp from the rain, and was held up by a Leaf village head protector. His orange tracksuit was stained with his own blood, drenched by the rainwater. There was a hole on the right shoulder part of his tracksuit. The blood came from a wound to the left of his chest, a gaping hole where his heart used to be, now nothing but a bloody pit. Because of this wound, blood seemed to have come out of his mouth, dribbling down his chin. And Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

Pakkun walked over to his side, sniffing the headband that lay at Naruto's side. It was of the Leaf village as well, but the steel had been scratched, signifying that its owner had become a traitor. He sniffed the headband before looking up at Kakashi. "It's Sasuke's... how did it come to this...?"

Kakashi knelt at Naruto's side, looking into his student's eyes. He closed his eye, letting a single tear fall from it. He then closed Naruto's eyes, picking him up in his arms. He looked down at him, sighing. "Naruto... forgive me... I didn't get here in time."


	2. Chapter 1 Wasted Years

1

Wasted Years

With the cold, limp corpse of the Uzumaki boy in his arms, a devastated Kakashi leaped from tree limb to tree limb, back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. His eyes downcast, he didn't even notice the team of Medical-Nin come up to him.

"Kakashi, what is Naruto's condi-" began one, only to be cut off by him.

Kakashi shook his head, gripping the lifeless body a little tighter.

The medical team gasped, now noticing the fatal wound.

"Sasuke was gone by the time I arrived. It's too late," Kakashi added, continuing on. "What about the other Genin?"

"Oh," another medical-nin spoke up. "Emergency medical treatment was administered on the spot, and they were immediately transferred to the Konoha Hospital."

"They were all wounded?" asked the Jonin, not feeling any better.

"Yes," replied the Medical-Nin. "Shikamaru Nara has minor injuries, an is doing fine. Inuzuka Kiba's are more serious, but not life-threatening."

"However," continued another, "Neji Hyuga and Choji Akimichi are both in critical condition. At this point, they could go either way. Lady Hokage is working on an antidote to cure them."

* * *

Thanks to the Nara clan's medicine guide, Tsunade was working at an antidote to stop the pill's effects on the Akimichi boy's body.

Meanwhile, Hana was patching up Akamaru, wrapping his paws in bandage. Kiba, all wrapped up in bandages himself, watched worriedly.

"Isn't there anything more you can do, sis?"

"This is the most I can do alone, the rest will take time. Don't worry, he's not in any danger."

Chuckling lightly, Kiba smiled, glad to know his companion would be okay.

In another room, Shizune and a team of Medical-Nin were healing Neji's wound using his own hair. Thankfully, it worked.

In the waiting room, Shikamaru twiddled his fingers, watching out for his broken index finger, which was held in place by a splint and secured with a bandage. This was terrible. Neji, Kiba and Choji were all injured, and there was no news yet of Naruto. He was probably even worse off... some squad leader he was.

"No point in making yourself crazy over this," Temari pointed out. "Don't you remember your psychological training? With every mission comes sacrifice."

Shikamaru stared before replying. "Training and reality are two different things. I thought I knew about missions. I thought I knew what it meant to be a shinobi. Now, after this mission... my first as a squad leader... only one thing is clear: I'm just not cut out to be a shinobi."

"Honestly, all you men, with such fragile egos..."

Shikamaru stood, obviously distraught by this. "This mission... I thought all I had to do was depend on everybody else. Some leader... I should have done more, but I didn't have the strength!" He tightened his unwounded hand into a fist, angered at himself for failing. "It's all my fault!"

Temari narrowed her eyes, annoyed at his self-pity. "What, are you afraid of getting hurt?"

Shikamaru simply stuck his hands in his pants pockets, walking down the hall. On the way, he passed his father, Shikaku, who was leaning against the wall.

"Shikamaru," he addressed him. "a girl disrespects ya like that and you just walk away?"

"You bet I do!" Shikamaru snapped. "Standing around arguing's not my thing. That's something girls like to do."

"And what are you?" asked Shikaku. "Not a man, that's for sure. 'far as I can see, you're nothin' but a coward. You think if you quit, the missions will stop? Someone's gotta do it. Your comrades will be sent out again, on other missions with someone else leading them. They'll face the same risks, and some of them might not make it. Ones you might have saved if you'd been there to lead them. How are you going to feel then?"

Meanwhile, Temari watched the father lecture his son.

"You've got a chance to reflect on your mistakes and learn from them. Use your failures to make yourself a better leader. You won't help your friends by running away. Instead, you should be trying to make yourself stronger for their sake, so that the next mission goes perfectly, and everyone gets back safe. The choice is simple, you're either a leader, or a coward! So, which are you?"

There was silence, then, the door to the operating room opened, and Tsunade stood in the door frame. She sighed, btu then smiled triumphantly.

"He's gonna be just fine!"

Shikamaru, though overjoyed to hear this, was too immersed in his father's words to show it.

"The antidote worked," she continued. "The extermination of cells caused by the pill's effects have been arrested." She sighed tiredly again, sitting down. "I couldn't have done it without your help, Shikaku. The Nara clan's secret medicine guide was invaluable. The work that went into that manual, the years of research! Well, it's quite impressive, to say the least."

"Thank you," Shikaku replied with a modest smile.

"Lady Tsunade!!" cried a voice down the hall.

It was Shizune, who seemed devastated. "Neji Hyuga is safe. His condition has stabilized... but I've received word of Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki. He... well, Naruto... he's KIA, ma'am..."

Tsunade gasped, her eyes wide open. No... it couldn't be.. not again!! That DAMN necklace!

Shikamaru, accepting his mission as a complete failure, but far from accepting the death of a Leaf village comrade, began to feel tears falling from his cheeks as he let his head hang.

"Next time... the mission will go perfectly!" Teardrops fell from his face to the floor.

* * *

_It just wasn't fair..._

In the hard rain, two Genin of Team 8 watched as a tall, silver haired male made his way towards them, clad in his green Leaf Jonin vest, his mask, Jonin gloves, pants and shoes, Across his left eye was a black head protector, with the Konoha symbol engraved on it. His only visible eye was full of sadness as it gazed down upon the lifeless form of a blond Genin in his arms.

His orange and blue tracksuit was drenched in blood from a gaping wound to the left of his chest, one that never healed, even though he had the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox inside of him. His blue eyes, once full of energy, were now closed, to hide their faded state.

All that saw this were shocked, even the boy with sunglasses. But the young girl with short, black hair that stood next to him was lost for words. Despite the enormous emotional gash this sight had created on her heart, tears refused to come to her white eyes. She held a hand painfully to her chest, gripping the fabric of the beige coat, now soaked by the rain. Only one name escaped her lips when the Jonin named Kakashi Hatake held the boy a few feet away from her.

"Naruto..."

Kakashi gripped Uzumaki Naruto as he closed his eye, uttering something before making his way to the Hokage's Office. "I'm sorry..." Nothing else was said, and no other sound was made as he walked away with the greatest and only love of the young girl, Hyuuga Hinata. The boy named Aburame Shino placed his hand on her shoulder, the pain inside of him almost as great. He knew that this event had utterly devastated her, and he wanted to show his sympathy for her.

"Hinata..." Shino began, but was interrupted as Hinata knocked his hand away, furiously shaking her head as tears finally rushed into her eyes.

"Don't TOUCH ME!!" Hinata cried as she ran away into the night, leaving Shino behind.

"Hinata, wait!!" Shino started after her, but ended up running into someone familiar. Her short, pink hair that went a bit past her shoulders was damp from the rain and clung to her cheeks, and wore a red and white dress that reached her knees, along with green shorts and blue shoes. There was a distressed, but confused look on her face as she looked all around her, Her green eyes finding Shino's. Her name was Haruno Sakura, the kunoichi of Team 7.

"Shino?" Sakura asked as her arms dropped to her sides. Though the look on her face was questionable, her eyes showed a fear like none other. "What's going on? Everyone I meet has been in tears or extremely quiet. What happened?" She then fell silent for a moment as she remembered someone, someone who had made a vow to her.

"...Where is Naruto?" she asked of him, her eyes wide as she waited for the answer. Somehow, deep inside of her she knew something had gone horribly wrong, and that the knuckle-headed ninja she retained great feelings of friendship had been wounded along with Kiba, Choji and Neji.

"...Naruto Uzumaki... is dead." Shino found no other way of saying it, as he walked away and headed towards his house. He could not stand the rain much longer.

Sakura stood on the spot, speechless. How could that be? Naruto couldn't be dead... he was just too young. "N-naruto...no..." She sat on a stone bench, and held her face in her hands, tears seeping between her fingers as she sobbed. First Sasuke, now Naruto... when would she stop losing the people she cared about so much?

She remembered how he was always trying to get her to date him, never giving up on her. He was jealous of how Sasuke had so easily won her love, and it angered him that he didn't care. All the memories the three of them shared... now all gone.

She didn't want to believe it... Naruto just couldn't be dead. It had to be a trick of some kind... a lame prank on his part to see just how devastated she would be if he did die. She hoped with all her heart that this was a sick joke, but in her heart she knew that he was gone... gone forever. All that was left was her memories.

"NARUTO!!"

She wept for while, her tears mingling with those of the sky. She eventually began wiping her eyes as she got up off the bench and sighed, slowly making her way back home. She had to sleep before this tragic incident completely destroyed her, and before she could catch a cold in the rain.

Back in the Hokage's office, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, was horrified upon the sight of the deceased boy. She really had to see hsi body to believe it. She could clearly see the necklace dangling from his neck still, which she believed caused his untimely death. Kakashi removed the necklace from around his neck, putting it into her hands.

"I found him at the edge of the village; Sasuke was nowhere to be found, and I was too late." He had explained briefly, unable to tear his eyes away from his fallen student.

Tsunade's eyes fell from Kakashi's face, to Naruto, to her necklace before she finally spoke, gripping the necklace hard.

"...I shall... prepare the funeral arrangements..." Tsunade said, sitting down as she held her head in her hands. "...Just... please... get him out of here... wash the blood away..." She had a hard time believing that not even this boy, who reminded her so much of her little brother, could survive the necklace's curse. Her assistant Shizune placed her hand on her back, equally saddened.

"As you wish, Lady Hokage," Kakashi replied, turning away from Tsunade's desk and exiting her office. He walked for a while down the long hallway, crossing no one. It was too late at night for anyone other than the Hokage herself to be awake. He entered a room with a single medical bed, setting Naruto down on the bed before shutting the door behind him.

Kakashi reached up to his tracksuit zipper, pulling it all the way down and removing it, along with the black t-shirt underneath. He placed his hand over the blue head protector, pulling it away from his forehead and letting his wet, blond hair falling into his face as he smoothed it back, gently caressing his head as he did so. He placed the clothes at the foot of the bed, and looked over him.

The wound in Naruto's chest was from Sasuke's Chidori; there was no doubt about it. It had burst right through him to the other side, obliterating his torso's insides, so he died quickly. He then looked down to his stomach, seeing that the seal was gone. The spirit of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox had died with him, but that alone was not enough to celebrate the death of such a hardworking, pure-spirited young Genin. Kakashi took a sponge and wet it, scrubbing off the blood from around the chest. He wanted his student to be looking his finest when his body would be put to rest.


	3. Chapter 2 Morphine for the Heart

2

Morphine for the heart

The next morning, Hinata walked silently towards the Konoha Hospital, her pearly white eyes downcast as she carried a bouquet of flowers to a certain someone she was visiting. At first glance, no one could tell, but the young Hyuuga girl had been crying all of last night. There were so many untold things that had gone to waste when she saw the love of her life fallen before her eyes. She had been locked up in her room until that morning, mourning her lost love, refusing to eat or to speak to anyone, but she eventually gathered up the courage to leave home and visit Kiba.

She entered the building, walking up to the front desk. She forced herself to lift her head, but was unfortunately unable to pull off a smile at such an early stage in her acceptance of Naruto's demise. The deep emotional gash in her heart was still very fresh and hurting.

"Can I help you?" asked the receptionist, looking into Hinata's empty-seeming eyes.

"I would like to leave these flowers with Kiba Inuzuka... may I have his room number?" Hinata requested, gripping the bouquet tightly, crumpling the wrapping.

"Yes, room 401. He should be awake now." She pointed to the staircase, which led to the rooms.

"Thank you." She said plainly and nodded, walking away towards the staircase and heading up to the fourth floor. She didn't take two at a time, as she was in no rush whatsoever. She just took them one at a time, until she reached the fourth floor, and went straight the first door on the left, into room 401.

There was the dog boy, calmly stroking the head of his dog, Akamaru, in his lap. Kiba appeared to be wearing nothing but the bandages at his waist, underneath the sheets. Akamaru was bandaged all around his torso, and was calmly resting. When he heard the opening and closing of a door, he looked up and smiled upon seeing Hinata.

"Hinata, hey..." Kiba smiled, waving slightly to Hinata. He groaned as he shifted himself into a sitting position, something Hinata did not protest against. Instead, she simply pulled up a chair and sat, placing the flowers on the nightstand.

Kiba saw this and smiled, his hands on his lap as he watched her. "Wow... thanks! These're great!" Hinata looked from Kiba's eyes, to the hospital gown, to the bandaged Akamaru. He was not hurt quite as badly as Choji or Neji. Although he did still have a deep stab wound in his gut, as well as numerous bruises, but that was the worst of it.

For some reason, Hinata could not bear to look into Kiba's feral eyes. He seemed so cheery, so apparently he hadn't heard the news. With a small sigh, Hinata averted her eyes to the flowers she had brought him. She saw the marks she had made earlier, from talking to the receptionist. However, she figured all she had gone through, that Kiba was the one person she could talk to the best.

So, as Hinata shook lightly from fright, she turned to Kiba and stared at him with sad eyes. She barely could stare at him- because it had been only a short time ago when Naruto fought him. Flashes burst into her mind, making her want to cry. She didn't want to worry him that much though, but he understood the best, didn't he? So with hands on her lap, Hinata stared down, tears slowly flowed out.

"N-Naruto..."

"What about Naruto?" Kiba asked, as his eyes took on a concerned look. She was probably going to confide in him that she was rejected by him, or something... what a jerk...

She brought her head up - her grief told only through her devastated expression. It was clear to her that something was wrong, she knew Kiba would guess. The girl wanted to lunge forward, embracing the only person she could trust now, but knowing how hurt he was, even though his wounds were minor, she knew she shouldn't. The tears wouldn't stop pouring out, and her eyes soon became red and puffy from the tears.

"H-he's... h-he's..."

"Hinata..." Kiba knew something was wrong now, there was no doubt about it. Hinata always got worked up over Naruto, but this was different... there was something wrong with the little squirt, something horribly wrong. "Just... please tell me."

Hinata couldn't bear looking at Kiba now, she brought her head down, and put her hands to her face to try to suppress what seemed like endless crying. Hinata thought she would at least be done with crying over all that happened last night. She was stronger than this! Oh, who was she kidding? She was absolutely devastated because of what happened and would probably never get over it. Her sobs seem eternal, and she almost sounded as though she would never stop. So through anguished cries of grief, Hinata managed to spur out what she had meant to say to Kiba in the first place- without crying.

"Naruto ... h-h-he's d-dead!"

Unable to help it, she sprung up from the chair she had brought close to the bed, staring at Kiba - eager for someone to calm her. She knew he would be in pain ... but she had to. She nearly jumped forward, tightly embracing her teammate, and began crying even worse from before.

Kiba's eyes shot open as he heard this, holding her in his arms as she cried into his shoulder. While her tears soaked his gown, He thought back on how this could have happened... He knew Naruto had gone on to pursue Sasuke...

That was it.

Sasuke... that treacherous rat bastard actually killed him... It was hard for him to believe it as well, but the little punk was really gone. Hearing Hinata cry her eyes out, he couldn't bear it, tears came to his own eyes as he realized this.

"Hinata..." Kiba uttered, lowering his head as he kept her in his embrace, letting her cry on his shoulder despite the pain from her hugging him so tightly.

Sakura wasn't in the best of moods when she woke up, she had gotten to sleep late last night and fell asleep crying and cuddling onto a pillow of hers. She noticed she was still in her outfit from the day before, but at this current point in time, she had no desire to care. She rolled on her other side and looked at the wall, she felt exhausted, even though she slept most of the morning away.

She turned her green eyes up to the ceiling and stared at it as the fan went around and around, her eyes following it's rhythmic patterns. She then sighed and turned away from that as well and sat up finally.

Naruto was gone... the annoying ninja that always seemed to ruin her life... was dead... She felt her eyes well up again with the unshed tears again, but she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She couldn't stand it.

Naruto had turned into one of her best friends towards the end... he even promised to bring Sasuke back for her... he broke that promise the stupid idiot... He said he would... She knew he never would on the inside, but she never voiced it out loud. She felt something touch her cheek and she reached up to feel the tears that came up earlier were coming freely now. Damn it, she couldn't do anything right could she?

She finally decided to get off her bed, throwing her legs over to the side and stood up, her legs a bit wobbly. She had to steady herself by placing a hand on the wall and looking down at the floor. The tears weren't going to stop now that they started, but she didn't care. She looked up finally and saw her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was unkempt, her tears made her cheeks look wet and smudged, which they were, and her eyes were red, nose puffy... She didn't look like herself at all...

The next thing she decided to do was to grab a comb and put it through her hair at least... she did this without much consequence but she didn't stop crying the entire time. She briefly heard a knock at the door and her mother came up to tell her that a woman was at the door for her. Sakura glanced up at her mother briefly before she got up and went downstairs. She saw the lady, it was Shizune, Tsunade's assistant... She really didn't feel like putting up with Shizune at this moment, but she had to suck it up anyways. She sat down on a chair and looked at the black haired young woman.

"What is it?" She asked as calmly as she could, and hoped her voice didn't crack. It did anyways.

"Um... Well... It has to do with Naruto..." Shizune started off, but was cut off by Sakura.

"I don't want to hear it." She stated a bit coldly, turning her head away from Shizune, but she went on.

"Tsunade thought that might happen... but hear me out." Sakura continued to look away from her, but Shizune plowed on. "Naruto's funeral is coming up soon and we would like for you to give the farewell speech for him..." She stated. Upon Sakura's glare Shizune held up her hands. "Hold on a moment. We figure since that we can't have Sasuke, we decided the next closest person to him would be you, and we humbly ask you to do the speech... out of respect for Naruto..." She smiled at Sakura kindly.

"I'll... think about it." Sakura said. "Please... go now."

The funeral was that afternoon; meaning Sakura didn't have a lot of time to think about her decision. She soon contacted Tsunade and told her of her choice and Tsunade agreed full heartedly. Sakura dressed around noon for the funeral to be taken place at one. She put on a simple black dress with a bead of pearls given to her by her mother. She looked down at her hands as she combed her hair again and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still red, but her face was no longer smudged and her nose no longer puffy.

While at Hinata's place, she had just finished changing into an identical black robe, and left her room, going outside to meet with Kiba. After finally healing up, he had offered to be with her at the funeral, and help her through the ceremony. They both walked to the funeral, sitting with Shino.

Sakura was now making her way to the funeral, which was to be held outside near a ramen place, since Naruto of course, loved ramen. When she got there she wasn't too surprised that almost the whole village showed up, many had no places to sit. But Tsunade beckoned for her to come to the front and sit there along with Kakashi and herself. Sakura sat down for a moment and looked at her hands.

On a table was a picture of Naruto, taken upon his registration to the Konoha Ninja Academy. He was about eight on the picture, even though he was actually 12 to this day.

Tsunade stood before the sea of black-robed ninja and villagers, sighing before she spoke. "Today we honor the death of someone who has been wrongfully neglected... a young boy with a dream. A dream to be the greatest ninja in the history of konoha.A dream to become the Sixth Hokage. That boy's name is Uzumaki Naruto."

Her pink hair covered her face and she took a breath to calm herself, her green eyes looking at her hands as she opened her mouth for the first few words.

"I wasn't too close to Naruto in the beginning I guess you could say... More like a hater of him like most of you were... I won't deny that it was wrong of me, but I couldn't help it." She looked down at his casket and felt a tear slip and fall from her eyes. "Everyone hated him, and I guess I sort of followed as well... It was wrong...

"Naruto was my friend even when I hated him, he considered me his friend even when I was cruel and hateful to him, even when all of us were. He was a very unusual soul... very dedicated and very sincere about anything he said and did... Especially about becoming Hokage... Naruto's life was fraught with terror and past ordeals that he had to trudge through, but he always did it happily and gleefully... with a smile on his face.

"Naruto showed me that I have more confidence in myself, he showed it to everyone and he made us believe more in ourselves... I guess that's why he always said 'Believe it' all the time. No matter what was happening Naruto was true to himself and to others till the end... He never gave up and he never quit... He never showed any weakness unless it was to his friends and those he considered family... "

She took a deep breath and continued on. "Naruto became like a family member to me during those last few months... he was like a brother to me and I love him very much... Naruto will live on in all of us, we're all going to have that little part of him in us that shouts 'Believe it!', because we all need that encouragement from time to time...

"None of us are going to forget Naruto, and none of us will forget the deeds he has done for us either... Naruto will remain with us in our souls... he will be with us in our hearts and with our spirits... Naruto may have left his bodily form... but he will live on till the end of the earth... Thank-you..."

Sakura dropped a rose on the casket, then pulled away and sat down, tears falling freely from her eyes as she bit her lower lip and felt Tsunade's hand on her shoulder in a sympathetic gesture. Sakura couldn't control the considerable tears now flowing freely from her eyes and down her cheeks.

One by one, people walked up to the table, setting down roses for Naruto. Kiba went up with Hinata, his arm around her comfortingly as she mournfully laid down her rose. She o

Lee walked up, laying down his own rose. He now regretted never dueling him. Had the fought another time, when he was more experienced... he may have been the victor.

Neji was next to give a rose, soon remembering when he was fighting him the Chuunin Exam Finals, where Naruto's words set him free, allowing him to forgive the Main Branch of the Hyuuga Clan. He had tried his best, but failed... his efforts would not soon be forgotten.

Even Shikamaru showed up, overwrought with guilt. The mission had been under his command, he should have done better... Choji, Neji and Kiba were all wounded, and even Naruto was dead. The young Chunin felt tears come to his eyes once again, his head hung. "Next time... the mission... will b-be carried out... perfectly!" He shook with the tears, moving away.

Once they were dismissed, they all went home, Kiba walking Hinata back. He stayed relatively close to her, but not too close, as he wanted to give her space. Akamaru whined slightly as he saw Hinata's expression, looking up to his master.

"Is there anything you want to do, Hinata?" asked the dog boy, walking slowly with her. "Do you... do you want to get some fried rice?" He was going to offer ramen, but he decided that the Ichiraku Ramen Shop bore just too many attachments to the late Number one Hyperactive Ninja.

Hinata shook her head slightly, blankly staring at the ground. "No thank you, Kiba... I'll just go sleep, I'm tired..."

Kiba nodded, sighing as they came to her house. "Well... good night. Get some sleep, okay? You need it. Come on, Akamaru." The duo walked off, leaving the Hyuuga girl to her sorrows. She entered the house, removing her shoes at the entrance before going straight up to her room.

Once inside, she closed the door behind her, sitting on her bed and curling up into a little ball, hugging her knees. She reached for her drawer, opening it. Out of it, she pulled a letter addressed to Naruto himself, a letter she was going to send Naruto upon his arrival. She clutched it in her hand, tears falling from her eyes one last time before she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 3 Coup de grace

3

Coup de grace

He had just come back from the hospital that day, and was training hard just like his sensei told him. He was standing on his hands, trying to break his 500-lap handstand record, remembering that his sensei always told him to improve himself. His name was Rock Lee, the Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village.

Just like everyone else, Naruto's death had shocked and saddened him. He admired his perseverance and hard work, despite being called Bushy-Brow by him. He eventually passed the Ichiraku Ramen shop, where many had come to buy ramen from, including a certain pink-haired kunoichi whom Lee had a crush on. He decided to end his handstand early, walking on his feet for some time.

He waved over at Sakura, who was just turning around. "Sakura!! Over here!" She smiled slightly at the sight of one of the only friends she had left, and silently approached him as she held a cup of ramen in her hands.

"Lee... out on your morning laps, I see." She spoke, her green eyes looking into his black ones. The grief of her best friend's death had almost left her features, at least for now. She had come to the Ichiraku Ramen shop today in memory of their only date, the one she'd been so caught up with Sasuke leaving that she barely spoke to him.

Lee nodded, smiling to her. "Yes! I am trying to break my record of 500 laps. It is difficult, but I will succeed, through hard work." He nodded, giving his thumbs up.

"Well, good luck with that," Sakura replied, her smile not widening more than it had to. "I... should bring this ramen back home." She turned away from Lee, walking slowly. She did not want anyone to see her cry… she had promised herself she wouldn't show her weaknesses.

"Sakura…?" asked Lee's, who had followed her. "Is everything all right?"

She couldn't hide it now, and she knew it. She simply stopped dead in her tracks, dropping the ramen she had just purchased and falling onto her knees, weeping into her hands, which collected the many tears that came forth from her eyes.

"Why...? Why did it come to this?" she asked, as Lee stood watching, lost for words. He had no idea just how hard the recent events had hit her. He knelt at her side, placing his wrapped hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura, let us not sit here, in the street. Please..."

Sakura would not reply, as her mind was stuck on her memories of Naruto, of every time he put his life in danger for her. She could remember the aftermath of the Chunin Exams, where she was going to thank Sasuke for saving her.

_"__Sasuke, I wanted to thank you for saving me."_

_"__I didn't save you."_

_"__Huh? Then who?"_

_"__It was Naruto."_

She still wept as the spilled ramen liquid spread along the ground, the noodles having spilled out of the cup and onto the ground. Lee gently helped her up off the ground, helping her walk away from the confused villagers.

_Dear Naruto,_

_You must think it's weird, getting a letter from me. I'm not even in your squad, I know, and that's why I have to tell you this in letter form, because we don't see each other as often as I'd like us to. You never talk to me, in fact... I find that hurtful, but I tell myself you have your reasons._

_Naruto, remember the day we were split into teams? I was heartbroken when Iruka-sensei announced that we would be in separate teams. I knew I would still see you sometimes, but I just couldn't handle being without you. You've always inspired me, from the day I saw you. I admire you greatly, _Naruto_, more than you could possibly imagine. Your support helped me through the toughest challenges. It's thanks to you that I am so confident._

_I've always watched you from afar, hidden away because I was so shy, but no more. Today, you will know how I truly feel._

_Naruto, I love you, and I want to be with no one but you! You mean the world to me, and I promise to always be at your side, through all the hardships._

_So please... take my feelings into consideration..._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Hinata Hyuga_

"I'm... s-so... stupid...!" Hinata sobbed into her pillow, holding the now open letter in her hand. "Why!? Why did I wait to give him this letter?" She crumpled in her hand as she cried, huddled up on her bed, in her room. She had not eaten very much, or even left the house. Her father Hiashi worried for her, but he decided that it would be best he let her deal with her own feelings.

She couldn't help it; she had loved that boy so much... more than anyone could have ever understood. Her heart ached to see him once more, see his smile, or hear his voice... but she knew that it could not be. Naruto was definitely dead; she had seen his lifeless corpse in the arms of Kakashi.

It was evening when she sighed as she crawled into her covers, closing her eyes as she tried to get some sleep. She had been up all last night thinking of what could have been, what their lives could have been like had she delivered him that letter before. Her thoughts wandered over the following year's Chunin Exams, Kurenai-sensei, Kiba and Akamaru, and everything else that kept her mind off of Naruto.

"Hinata... Hinata, please, wake up already!"

Hinata's white eyes fluttered open, looking around her. Morning had come, and sunlight shone through her windows, blinding her. She covered her eyes, sitting up on the edge of her bed as she rubbed her eyes, getting up slowly to another lonesome day. She sighed, dressing in her mesh undershirt, usual black shirt and pants, putting her beige jacket on. As she exited her room, she slowly walked downstairs to breakfast, eating quietly. Her father seemed confused, and spoke up as she was eating a piece of toast.

"Is something the matter?" asked Hiashi. "You've been very quiet."

Hinata did not say a word for some time, but eventually gathered up her remaining courage and spoke up.

"It's... hard, father..." she managed to say as her whole body shook, her eyes brimming with tears. "It's just so hard for me to accept it..."

Hiashi did not quite understand. "What can't you accept...?"

Hinata rose suddenly, glaring into her father's eyes. "That he's GONE!! The only boy I ever cared for is dead..." She silently fell back into her chair, sobbing as her father replied.

"What boy are you talking about...?" Hiashi asked, still not understanding this.

"Naruto... don't you know...?"

"Hinata, Naruto is not dead. He just checked out of the hospital today."

Hinata's eyes shot open. He was... ALIVE!? No, this wasn't possible. He was dead... she knew he was, she had seen his body, attended the funeral... he was dead, dead, dead, dead, DEAD! She wouldn't believe that he was alive; she didn't need be hurt any more.

She got up suddenly, running out of the house. None of what had just been said made any sense. She knew that her father was aware of Naruto's death, and yet, he was telling her that he was alive and well.

As Hinata ran through the streets of Konoha, no one seemed to be any different from before the funeral. Everyone was happy and working away. Had she been dreaming all along? Was this whole ordeal she had been crying her heart out over just been a bad dream? It couldn't be... everything was so real!

She suddenly stopped as her heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she thought she heard it... that voice...

"All right!!" the young boy's voice rang out, followed by a loud slurping of fried noodles. "Thanks, old man!"

Hinata turned her head to see a blond boy in an orange and blue tracksuit, sitting at the counter of the Ichiraku Ramen shop. A pile of bowls was next to him, it appeared he was on his tenth. There was no doubting it now... he was alive.

"NARUTO!!"

Naruto leapt at least fur feet into the air, equally surprising Ayame and the Ichiraku shop owner. The knucklehead ninja fell hard on his behind, and the rest of his ramen bowl flew up into the air, landing on his head. "Hey!! What's the big deal!?" He slapped the soup away, an angered look on his face. It quickly disappeared as he saw who had called out his name. "Hinata?"

Hinata ran towards him, gripping him in her arms. She hugged him as hard as she could, sobbing. "Naruto... I-I... thought you were d-dead!!" She buried her face into his unwounded chest, leaving Naruto a tad surprised.

"Hinata, what're you-" he began, but was immediately cut off.

"Naruto, I love you!" she suddenly blurted out, feeling an immense weight lift away from her as she spoke. "I've always loved you, and I want to be with you!!" She lifted her head, looking into those blue eyes of his, her on filled with tears of mixed joy and sadness.

Naruto looked into her saddened eyes, his own softening. "Hinata..." He held her head to his chest, his eyes closing. "I... never knew... I always thought-"

"How touching."

Both turned to see something even more shocking. All of the villagers had been killed while the two shared their moment. The only ones left standing were themselves and someone they thought the y would never see again. His spiked black hair fell over his forehead, for he no longer wore his headband. All he wore was his blue shirt, beige shorts and blue shoes. An evil grin placed itself on his face as he approached them.

"Sasuke..."

"You've softened, Naruto." Spoke Sasuke, now only a short distance from the pair. "You couldn't even stop me from leaving, you loser."

"I'll make you eat those words, traitor!" Naruto yelled, pushing Hinata aside so she would not be hurt. "Get outta here, Hinata!"

"Naruto...!!" Hinata gasped. She had only just confessed her feelings to him, she would not lose him now.

"Try it!!" Sasuke yelled, beginning a series of hand seals before activating the Chidori. Before Naruto could do anything, he had already rushed in, and thrust his hand through the blond Genin's torso. Blood spattered all over the deserted streets as Sasuke's laughter filled the air.

"NARUTO!!"

Hinata awoke suddenly, finding herself in her room again. She was in cold sweat, and still in her pyjamas. It was dark still, and Naruto was still dead. She had dreamt it all up... he never came back alive. Tearfully, she snuck out of her room, going all the way up to her room.

_I can't live without Naruto... I have to go to him..._

She stepped up to the edge, gazing down. The fall would most certainly kill her, for her house was quite high off the ground. She closed her eyes, stretching her arms out as she began to lean forward...

Kiba was just walking Akamaru late at night, thinking about how the recent events could have affected his beloved teammate. He knew she had a big crush on him, and he had not wanted to interfere... but now he was gone. He believed she was devastated; that nothing could make her happy again...

He passed by the Hyuga mansion, looking up to see a small form falling. He recognized that silhouette...

Oh no. It couldn't be. She wouldn't have the guts...

"Hinata, NO!!" Kiba cried out, seeing her fall to the ground at an extreme speed.


	5. Chapter 4 Mourning and Sorrow

4

Mourning and Sorrow

Time was short, and Hinata was falling fast. There was barely time to think, and less to act. Thankfully, Kiba immediately knew what to do. Quickly summoning chakra to his hands, he transferred it to Akamaru, who, the second he was provided the sufficient chakra, transformed into a perfect clone of his master, dashing up the side of the building. "Go, Akamaru!!"

The heroic dog caught Hinata in his arms, but was only able to hold on long enough to slow her fall, before the transformation jutsu wore off. Because there was not enough time to give Akamaru an ample amount of chakra, Kiba instead gave him just enough to be able to slow her fall before he could catch her.

Hinata, who had been trembling from the moment she heard Kiba's voice, was still persuaded that this was the best thing to do. She beat on her teammate's chest, furious tears streaming from her eyes. "N-no!! Let me go, I-I have to go to him!!" she cried, shaking her head.

"Hinata-chan, get a hold of yourself! You're being irrational!" Kiba yelled, wincing every time she hit him. She was stronger now, since her training, and he was still a little sore from his injuries. He could understand that she missed Naruto, as he was an idol to her. And death was hard on everyone. But suicide was not the answer.

After a few moments, she eventually calmed down, but she was still overwrought with her own sorrow. "No... N-Naruto-kun... " No matter what she did, she couldn't get her mind off him. All she kept seeing was his smile, his kind blue eyes, and finally his bloody, lifeless corpse, lying there in the rain, completely helpless and... _dead_.

Suddenly, someone slid the door open, stepping outside hastily. It was Hiashi Hyuga, Hinata's father, who had come out to see what all the screaming was about. He saw his daughter there, in the Inuzuka boy's arms, and was going to say what he thought this was when he was cut off.

"She was about to jump, Hyuuga-sama," said Kiba, carrying Hinata towards her father. "I did what I had to."

The Head of the Hyuga house took his daughter into his arms, looking down at her cowering form a moment before nodding a thanks to her savior and bringing her inside, so he could put her back to bed.

Kiba, meanwhile, gently picked Akamaru up and kept him inside his parka jacket, with his head and paws hanging out. Tomorrow, he would have to try and talk to her. She had always gone to him before to help her with her nervousness around Naruto. Now, he would help her get over her loss.

********************************

The following morning, Kakashi, Guy and Tsunade were gathered around the Memorial Stone, where a new name had been engraved. Tsunade held back tears, refusing to show herself weak. Kakashi stood in silent grieving, while Guy let tears flow freely.

Tsunade soon reminisced over the time she had given her necklace away as a gift to Naruto, though she knew that it had caused the death of both her brother and her lover. Now, it had taken the life of yet another soul. _Idiot..._ Tsunade thought to herself. _I got someone else killed..._

Kakashi himself began to recall the day he had first met the boy, during his survival test. He had come upon this very stone on that day...

"_Did you look at this stone?" Kakashi had asked as he approached the Hero Memorial Stone. "The names engraved on it? They are all ninja who are honored as he heroes in our village."_

"_That's it, that's it, that's it!" said Naruto enthusiastically, still tied to the log. "I've decided I'm gonna have my name engraved on that stone! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog! I'm gonna be a hero! A HERO!!"_

"_They are... a special kind of hero..."_

"_Huh? Well, what kind of heroes are they?" asked Naruto eagerly. "Come on, tell us!"_

_Kakashi remained silent, old wounds opening slightly._

"_Well, well?" Naruto persevered._

"_They're all... KIA." Kakashi managed to say._

_Naruto's face lost its glow a moment, but it soon returned. "Oooh. That sounds real cool!"_

Kakashi sighed, closing his eye momentarily, then opened it once more to look from Obito's name to the newest one.

_**Uzumaki Naruto**_

"He was the bravest Genin I've ever known..." uttered Guy, sniffling as tears flowed out of his eyes. "He... truly deserves this..."

Kakashi nodded wordlessly, bowing his head. Tsunade placed her hand upon his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic look. "There's a matter of the will... get Sakura, he's included her in it." She then walked guy back with a half-smile, his childish weeping actually a little bit refreshing after all this mourning.

"As you wish, Hokage-sama…" replied Kakashi, walking away after a moment to fetch Sakura.

********************************

Back in the Hokage's office, all was silent. Tsunade herself was present, and was going to read out the will to Sakura, Konohamaru, Lee, Hinata and Iruka. All four were seated around the Hokage's desk, Tsunade took scroll in hand, unfurling it across her desk and reading from it out loud.

"Dear friends and loved ones, if you're reading this, I'm gone. To each of you, I will leave some of my possessions."

She moved along down the scroll, reading out the first column.

"To Konohamaru, I leave my head protector, to be worn when you graduate." She reached down into a drawer, pulling out the very headband that Iruka had tied around Naruto's forehead when he mastered the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. She laid it down in the boy's hands, causing him to tear up. Tsunade then went on to the next object.

"Bushy-brow, you're a great ninja, almost as great as I arm. But you've got to learn to rest sometimes, so, I leave you my sleeping cap, to keep your weird hair warm while you sleep."

She now took a grey nightcap from the drawer, with red eyes on them mimicking a face. She laid it in Lee's lap, who nodded and accepting the cap with honor.

"Iruka-sensei, you're like a father to me. Please accept my life savings, to thank you for all those times you treated me to ramen." Now, she pulled out an especially large frog purse, containing the money Naruto had put aside. She handed it to Iruka, who blinked as he held it. He smiled softly, his eyes closing. _Naruto... _he thought. _... you were like a son to me, too..._

Tsunade read the next column. "Hinata-san." The girl managed to pick her head up. "I never got the chance to take you out to ramen as friends, so I'm leaving you my free ramen bowl coupons."

She handed the girl the booklet of coupons, and Hinata merely stared. She had watched him, loved him, admired him all these years… and this was all he could come up with? Ramen coupons? She felt extremely hurt, crushing them in her hand.

Finally, she read the last column. "Sakura-chan. I've always really liked you. I think I may even love you... but you love Sasuke, and I won't be there to come between you two anymore. Take his headband, and go looking for him without me."

Sakura, touched by all of what was said, barely noticed the scarred headband being put into her hands. She could feel tears crawling into her eyes once more. As she sat there, Hinata stood up briskly and left, coupons in her hand.

Kiba, who stood outside with Akamaru, waited in the afternoon sun. He had walked Hinata to the reading of the will, and wondered if she would be all right. When she finally emerged, he rushed over to her, immediately seeing that she was not well.

"Uh... Hinata-chan–" He began only to be cut off by her yelling.

"BASTARD! How dare he... after ALL this time..." she mumbled tears flowing down her eyes.

"Hinata…" Kiba whispered, slowly sliding his arms around her as he held her close. She was probably confused in her feelings over him... anger, hate and love...

She cried softly into his shoulder, hugging him tightly. "All this time, Kiba-kun... he never even realized..."

"He's not worth your tears if he treated you like that," Kiba comforted, his hand pulling her chin up to look into her eyes, wiping away the tears. "So... what did he leave you with, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata averted his gaze, looking to the crumpled pieces of paper in her hand. "Coupons for Ichiraku Ramen…"

Kiba smiled softly. "Forget that… let's go get some dumplings."

Hinata returned the smile weakly, letting the coupons fall from her hand as she took hold of his. "S-sure, Kiba-kun…"

********************************

Later that day, at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, Iruka sat alone, slurping up a bowl of ramen noodles. The old man who ran the shop was silent, he had not felt up to working since Naruto's demise. Ayame was the same, no longer greeting the guests as enthusiastically as before.

"Could I get another?" asked Iruka as he finished drinking the broth.

"Sure," replied the old man, cooking another bowl. "...It's been a lot quieter without the kid around..."

Iruka nodded, staring into the emptied bowl. "Yeah... too quiet..."

Jiraiya pushed the flaps away as he entered, seating himself next to Iruka. "Miso ramen… barbecue pork."

Iruka smiled slightly as he heard that, looking to Jiraiya. "The same thing he used to order."

As both were given their bowls, the old man poured four cups of sake, inviting Ayame over. Each raised their cup in silence. "To Uzumaki Naruto."

"To Uzumaki Naruto," repeated the other three, pouring the sake down their throats.

"A round of Ramen, on me!" called out Iruka.

********************************

That evening at the Haruno household, the pink-haired kunoichi lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling while her mind went a mile a minute. Naruto had loved her all this time... and Sasuke wouldn't even notice her. How could she have been such an idiot? She sat up in bed, looking towards her vanity desk. There, next to her brush, lay Sasuke's scratched headband. She stood, rising from her bed as she went to examine it.

Why did she ever think she loved him? Was it his good looks, his fearlessness, or his rebellious attitude, perhaps? None of these things attracted her anymore... Naruto was sweet, considerate and never went back on his word... that was his ninja way.

She smiled as she remembered him saying so, then realized that it had been Sasuke who had killed him... she grabbed the headband, tears coming to her eyes as she glared at it. "I never really loved you... and now, I realize how much I really hate you!" She threw it into her bin, returning to her bed, hoping that tomorrow would come soon.


End file.
